Art and Architecture

Art and Architecture

Kaplan

Art and Architecture

The piece of Architecture that I chose in my community is the courthouse. “The Camden Courthouse, a Greek Revival brick structure with a portico of four columns on brick piers, was built in 1847” ("Courthouse," 2011, p. 1). This building was originally erected in 1847, an addition was done in 1997 and a complete renovation was done in 2006. When I look at this building I see a lot of perpendicular lines. It has four rounded columns in the front with two staircases coming from the top story down the sides. This forms a covered porch on the bottom floor. The entryway doors are surrounded by rectangular transom windows. The porch upstairs is covered by an A-framed roof. There is also a double gable on the building.

The function of this building is for conducting county business. This includes trials, deed recordings and office space for officers of the courts. The form of the building was a dominant style in America in 1820-1850 (Tom, n.d., p. 1). It was also called “national style” because of the popularity. Greek Revival was the first American architectural style to reach the West Coast. Thomas Jefferson believed in architecture as a symbol. The first building in the U.S. was Jefferson’s Virginia State Capitol.

One of the things that I like in this form of architecture is the symmetrical shapes, the heavy cornice and the bold but simple moldings. I like the exterior entry porch with the columns and the double gables. When I look at this building I see authority. Not because of who inhabits the building but because of the strong sturdy lines throughout the structure.

The piece of art that I chose for this project is a black and white photograph by Ansel Adams. The title of the piece is El Capitan, Winter. It is a photograph that was taken before 1950 in the Yosemite National Park. The print type is Gelatin Silver. The photo is representational art. You can easily see the snow and...